How to overcome audition nerves by shifting from the illusion of control to in the moment presence.
Life feels overwhelming these days. We’re constantly bombarded with messages telling us what we need to change to be successful. Change your body, optimise your morning routine, upgrade your headshots, take this class, network better, build your social media presence. The promise is always the same: follow these instructions, perfect yourself through force of will, and you can have the life you dream of.
This is the illusion of control – the belief that through willpower and brute force, we can bend reality to our desires. For actors, this illusion of control becomes particularly damaging when it comes to audition mindset, creating a cycle of audition nerves and imposter syndrome that undermines the very authenticity casting directors seek.
But this illusion of control is built on a devastating false premise: that we weren’t good enough to begin with. Since my mission statement is “I am good enough is more than good enough” you can guess I really don’t agree with that idea. In this post we will look further into how this need to feel in control is actually getting in the way of you being your awesome authentic self at auditions.
How the Illusion of Control Fuels Audition Nerves
As an actor, I have fallen into this mindset over and over again. Walking into audition rooms, trying to make myself be what I thought the casting director was looking for. This attempt to control the outcome has only intensified my audition nerves and deepened my “imposter syndrome”, that feeling of not belonging, of being a fraud. Attempting to control something that was completely out of my hands just made the situation worse.
Casting decisions depend on countless variables we have virtually no input over – the relative importance of the role, the size of profile that fits the producer’s vision, chemistry with other actors, timing, or simply that someone reminds them of their university flatmate. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if we had just worked a bit harder then it might have gone our way.
Don’t get me wrong – hard work is essential. But it’s far better to put that effort where it has maximum potential to serve your long-term goals.
Here’s the thing though: your long-term goal of being a successful working actor (however you choose to define success) should not be the main goal for your audition. A focus on your future career is exactly that – future-focused, not present-moment focussed. And it can only take you out of the presence required in the moment of the audition, fuelling more audition nerves and reinforcing imposter syndrome and any other negative thoughts and beliefs that get in your way.
Breaking Free from the Illusion of Control in Audition Preparation
This future-focused audition mindset shows up most clearly in how we prepare our sides. Attempting to control outcomes, we learn an attitude towards the lines rather than learning to be available to them. We create what I call a “predictive performance” – predetermined choices that feel safe because they’re planned, but ultimately limit what’s possible in the room.
A predictive performance can only be as good as what you imagined alone in your flat. But an available performance can respond to the energy in the room, the way the reader delivers a line, an unexpected impulse that arises in the moment. It’s the difference between delivering a speech and having a conversation. It’s what the director is looking for when they ask you to try the scene a different way. It’s not criticism, they’re looking to see if you have the flexibility to adapt to specific directorial choices.
But there’s something even more damaging about this illusion of control – it dissociates us from the present moment. When we’re trying so hard to be what we think the casting director wants, we actually increase our imposter thoughts, giving fuel to our inner critic. We’re operating from the faulty belief that the reality of who we are isn’t good enough, and we can only ever second-guess the person we’re trying to be.
Here’s the cruel paradox: casting directors are looking for authenticity, for truthful performance. Yet when we attempt to control the moment, what they actually see is an actor trying to control rather than an actor living the moment. We end up performing our audition nerves instead of the actual scene, trapped in the very illusion of control we thought would help us succeed.
Transforming Your Audition Mindset: From Control to Presence
How would it be if we stopped trying to control the future and instead showed up to auditions with presence and curiosity?
What would happen if we approached auditions differently, if we saw each one for what it actually is?
Every audition is an invitation to perform. Instead of focusing on the future, how would it be to treat every audition as a unique performance opportunity, with an intimate audience, a chance to discover moment to moment what is available in the text. You may not be able to control the casting choice, but by changing your mindset and being fully present, you may introduce who you are as a unique talent to this most powerful of audiences.
This isn’t just feel-good philosophy. It’s practical. When you’re fully present with the material and the people in the room, you’re more likely to make authentic choices, discover something unexpected, and create the kind of genuine connection that casting directors remember.
The Challenge of Separating desire from what is
The real challenge lies in separating the long-shot desire of booking the job from taking rejection personally. In a business where “no” is the most common response, if we interpret each rejection as a judgement on who we are as people and artists, we’ll be crushed long before we can build a sustainable career.
It’s a truism that we don’t audition for the job, we audition for our career. However this works against us if we have a future-focused mindset. Every audition carries the weight of our professional identity, our self-worth, our dreams. No wonder our shoulders tense up and our minds start racing with “what if” scenarios.
However, instead of changing who we are (which is unlikely to work), by letting go of the urge to control everything, we create space to ask what would be productive to change. I said earlier that hard work is important when it is focused on the things within your sphere of control. Learning your lines with flexibility, arriving on time, wearing clothing suitable for an audition. These are all things which you can review, from one audition to the next,
An Invitation to Presence
The work – both in preparation and in the room – is about recognising when we’ve shifted from “What does this character want in this moment?” to “What do I need to prove about myself?” It’s about noticing when we’re trying to control outcomes rather than trusting the unique talent we bring to the role.
Your audition has its own purpose, separate from your career goals. It’s a chance to inhabit a character, explore a relationship, tell a story with an intimate audience of industry professionals. When we can stay present with that immediate creative opportunity, something authentic has space to emerge.
The irony is that this approach – treating each audition as a complete experience in itself – probably serves our long-term career better than trying to audition for our career ever could. Presence and authentic connection create lasting impressions. Strategic manoeuvring rarely does.
How Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy Addresses the Illusion of Control
As a cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist, I work with performers to uncover the unconscious attitudes that shape their approach to preparation, auditioning, and career development. Often, we don’t realise how deeply ingrained our control patterns have become or how much mental and physical tension we’re carrying into audition rooms. My experience as an actor guides my psychological insights and informs the language I use. It’s a collaborative approach that mirrors the working relationship of director and actor, understanding the underlying beliefs that drive the thoughts that drive feelings and behaviour.
Hypnotherapy creates a space to explore these patterns without judgement and to access more resourceful states. When we’re in a relaxed, focused state, we can identify the specific thoughts and beliefs that trigger our need to control outcomes. It can help to see this a a script that needs rewriting because it isn’t quite working. With an amended script we can rehearse new ways of being – practising presence, availability, and trust in our creative instincts.
Many actors find that hypnotherapy helps them develop what I call “conscious preparation” – learning material in a way that leaves room for discovery rather than locking in predetermined choices. We work on recognising and releasing habitual tension enabling states of creative flow and developing the ability to return to presence when anxiety pulls us into future-focused thinking.
The goal isn’t to eliminate nerves or ambition, but to channel that energy into what actually serves your performance and your career: authentic presence, creative risk-taking, and genuine connection in the room. After all, the physical sensations of feeling nervous are pretty much identical to those of excitement – increased heart rate, heightened alertness, energy coursing through your body. It’s the unreliable narrator we all have inside that decides which label we apply to those sensations. But we can retrain that voice, learning to interpret those feelings as readiness and aliveness rather than threat and inadequacy.
Ready to Shift Your Audition Experience?
If you’re tired of walking into auditions feeling like you’re fighting against yourself, I’d love to explore what’s possible when you approach your craft from a place of presence rather than control.
I offer a free 20-minute discovery call where we can discuss your specific challenges and how hypnotherapy might support your growth as a performer. No pressure, no hard sell – just an opportunity to explore a different way forward.
What patterns do you notice in your own audition preparation? When do you find yourself most present and available in performance situations? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
